When to start herbs inside?

[Herbian]

I am going to be growing my first herb garden this year! (A potted one.) I WAS going to start small but...the wonder of all the different types of herbs made me decide otherwise. SO. This is what I am going to plant:
Oregano
Parsley
Dill
Basil
Lavender
Rosemary
Lemon Balm
Mint
Chocolate Mint
I am going to be ordering all but the last four as seeds. My question is...How long should the herbs grow before moving them outside? I am going to start the seeds in the pots they are going to end up in.

 

[journey11]

Welcome! What's your location, Herbian? Now's a good time for starting them indoors to plant outside and most herbs you can start anytime and keep in small pots in the kitchen to have fresh herbs handy. Now, all winter I've had two pots with little parsley transplants in them that I dug up from seeds that sprouted in one of my raised beds in November. But they have lingered and just hung around all winter not doing much until just recently. I think the longer daylight just triggered them to take off growing. I probably should have had them under the lights all winter. Rosemary and basil I've had better luck with.

 

[digitS']

Herbian, I am not much of a container gardener, although I can really see the wisdom of taking that route with any and all of these. My rosemary stays in containers since it has to be moved from the outdoors to avoid sub-zero weather. It might be a good idea with the chocolate mint here. It's problem is either with the cold or the "sunless" location I have for it in the outdoors. Whatever the case, you can better keep the mints from spreading too much in containers.

Anytime might be okay to start any of these except the basil. It will not want to be in any cool let alone cold environment. Don't place it outdoors until the warm weather has absolutely settled in.

Your other annual, the dill, probably doesn't have those requirements. Most people have trouble having dill around when they finally have cucumbers. I don't know your plans for the dill but staggered sowings will give you a longer season. You can also cut and dry it at just the right moment and use it that way.

Most of the perennials on your list have small seeds that sprout in quite low temperatures. They then grow slowly. I have started those in February and with the earliest of things. As I say, most anytime may work but they will need months to become well established where severely hot or cold won't endanger their survival.

While I have been writing this, I see that @journey11 has had almost the same things to say. We may be a little more specific if we know your environment better.

Welcome! And, I hope we can help and that you can share your experiences as you go along.

Steve

 

[so lucky]

In my experience, you might want to get the lavender as a started plant, too. You may get discouraged trying to get seeds germinated. The basil, dill and parsley are fairly easy to grow from seed, and will grow fairly quickly in a warm season. Have you had a vegetable garden in the past? Many things learned are transferable, whether it is a "vegetable" or "herb." And, Welcome!

 

[Herbian]

Yes, I've grown vegetable and flower gardens for as long as I can remember. Thank you guys for your tips! I live in northern Iowa...still several feet of snow on the ground but a promise of 60's finally in the forcast! The average for march is 50/60 and April is 60/70. Though I think it will be a cold year...